The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-31

/ 1lllQOlS-aS
learned of the Hoosier officers treatment of the
| government ammunition, put him under arrest.
| He fat old German, well taught in his work
| in his way, but wholly unfit for any active serv-
| ice. Fremont, receiving the report of the
contumacy of the Indiana artillery officer exam
in ed the condemned ammunition and condemned
| it again. He gave orders to Gen. Hunter to
/ release Captain Frybarger, dismiss the pudgy
cid German officer, and put mis- prisoner in
/ his place So the following morning Gen. Hun
| ter called upon the Captain and told him he was
/ not only not prisoner but was commander of
| the artillery force of Fremonts army with the
| rank of major. Better ammunition was soon pro-
| cured and the Indiana battery improved in this
line of service readily as in others. Their
| guns James rihed six pounders." and
with these the march from Jefferson to
Springfield, Major Frybarger, at a range of
mile hit crippled. condemned, dying old horse
An accuracy of fire that could not have been
easily matched by practiced shot with long
range rifle. Gen. Hunter particularly was
greatly delighted with the efficiency of the ar
tillery thus indicated.
After an absence of over a month Major Fry
barger was recalled to Indiana by Governor
Morton to take charge of the organization and
preparation for service of the artillery
forces then forming in the State. The
three original batteries of his command
and instruction continued in constant
ice through the war; fighting with credit in
many of the leading battles. Lieut.. James M.
Cockefair was promoted to the captaircy in his
place. During the Missouri campaign and Major
Frybarger's absence from the State, tho Fourth
Battery was organized in Indianapolis by Capt
Asal-el K. Bush, Sept 10; the Fifth in Indianap-
oils. by Capt. Peter Simonson, Sept. 16; the
Sixth at Evansville by Capt Frederick Behr,
Sept 7; the Seventh at Indianapolis, by Capt.
Samuel J. Harris, Sept 7; the Eighth
at Indianapolis, by Capt. George T.
Cochran, Sept. 4 the Ninth at 6 In
dianapol is. by Capt. N. S. Thompson, Sept 7.
The Sixth Battery, Evansville. was alone mus
tered into service Immediately its organiza-
ton. The Fourth, Captain Bush's, was mustered
from Missouri All the others were delayed in
their muster for weeks, ranging from NOV. %
to Dec. 20. so that of the six batteries
organized in this interval four came under the
command and instruction of Major Fry bar ger.
Besides these, there were eight batteries organ
lied by his assistance. and drilled and instructed
by him from October. '6l, to March. go. These
were the Tenth. Capt. Jerome b. Cox. organ
lied in Indianapolis, Nov. ID; the Eleventh,
Capt A. Sutermeister, at Fort Wayne, Novem-
Der; the Twelfth, Capt. George W. Sterling, at
Jacksonville. November Thirteenth. Capt
Sewell Coulson. at Indianapolis, Dec. 26; Four
oils. Dec. -; Fifteenth, Capt. J. L. H Won
Schlen. March =. '62; Sixteenth, Capt Charles
A. Naylor. at indianapolis, March -, 62 Sew
lis. March -, 80 Half of these were mus
tered in between Dec IL. 61 and Feb. %. '62, in
time to get to the field before the fighting down
the Mississippi and up the Tennessee and Cum
berland began. The Seventeenth was not mus
tered in till May &c, the Sixteenth March "a Fiji
teenth, July 81 Fourteenth, March 24-all too
late for any of the fighting that opened the way
into the Confederacv east of the Mississippi.
The batteries that We're mustered in and ready
for the field were ordered TO report under Major
Frybarger to General Halleck, at st. Louis,
early in the spring of 90. By him of
them were sent to General Grant, then moving
up the Tennessee to the north end of Mississp
pI Two took part in the battle of Shiloh. the
Sixth and Ninth. In this battle Major Fry
barger was struck in the head by a piece of par
tially-spent she'll. or shot, and badly
hurt besides receiving an incurable rupture in
his fall, that he was sent home. In the summer
of 62, after partial recovery from his injuries.
Governor Morton placed him in command OF all
the camps in and about the city During the
preceding fall and winter, while organizing and
drilling the artillery companies he formed a |
camp especially for them directly west of Camp
Morton, as the new fair ground called.
subsequently it was made one of the chief
prison camps of the country. This artillery
camp was well provided every way and called
Camp Noble-for the Adintant- general, Laza-
rus Noble. Following this several minor in
fantry camps had been formed. Camp Holio-
way, Camp Schlater, and others, scattered
about with troublesome indifference to distances
and Inconvenience of separation. These under
on the assumption of his new dutIes-were all |
abandoned. and the troops all brought into |
one large, wellplanned and carefully
commander Of the State. Camp Darlington 1t |
was situated on the space between the Lafayette |
railway and the canal. little south of Fall |
creek In the duty of supervising this big |
camp and one or two smaller ones. besides the |
temporary camps of passing troops, Colonel |
war. except for some weeks in the year 49,
while he was organizing an artillery defense of |
our southern border against possible rebel raids.
and in '63 while engaged in preparations |
against John Morgan. In 80 to '63 he estab-
lished batteries at TWENTY-FIVE points along the |
OHIO, most of them, of course. in the river |
country landings where there seemed to be an
especial chance of danger. But these guns
were not manned by organized companies or
any IN the military service. and form no part of
the States military record The guns were pro-
vlded by the government. Adequate ammunl-
ton supplied and the citizens instructed in
their use and left to take of themselves.
During the Morgan raid he was again along the
Ohio and in Kentucky, consulting the loyal
State officers, but they could not all of them to-
eether get accurate news of Morgans move
ments till he had landed on this side and mes
sengers came TO New Albany with the news.
During the year 90, from the time Colonel
Frybarger returned crippled from Shiloh to take
general command of the military camps and
look after the artillery OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES is
from early in July until the latter part of No
VEN Der, the Eighteenth Battery, Captain Eli
Lilly, was organizedin indianapolis, July 7, or at
this date authority was given for the formation of
the company. Besides this the Nineteenth. TWEEN
tieth Twenty first Twenty-second Twenty
third and Twenty-fourth were all authorized at
the same time-the Nineteenth. Capt. Samuel J.
Harris previously of the Seventh Battery; the
Twentieth, Capt Frank A. Rose; Twenty first,
Capt VIM. A. Andrews; Twenty second, Capt
Benjamin F. Denning; Twenty third, Capt.
James ID. Myers; Twenty fourth, Capt Joseph
A. Sims. These were N ustered in at various
dates. from Aug. 8 to Dec. Is. Three or four Of
these batteries remained camp under drill
till the summer of '63. Those were the Twenty
first, Twenty second, Twenty third and Twenty
fourth. and held such close association in camp
and outtof 1t, and were uniformly so we'll regard
ed by each other. that they were called among
themselves the Happy Family. During this
unusually long term Of camp companion ship
the batteries practced. at all convenient oppor-
tunites firing at big target set up on the edge
of the bluff of White river bottom. some